Charter Arms’ New Rimless Revolver

Available Calibers: Charter Arms will first offer the .40 S&W chambering, followed quickly by the .45ACP and 9×19 mm Parabellum (the 9mm Parabellum revolver will also chamber factory .380ACP). All three of Charter Arms’ Rimless Revolvers (9mm, .40 and .45) are rated for higher velocity +P loadings.

The advantage is now the average gun owner can own an affordable, trouble-free revolver chambered in these popular semi-auto rounds without the need for specialized ammunition clips and a specialized gun.

Back up and self-defense: For law enforcement work the always ready-to-fire, fiddle-factor-free revolver is the back up to have; especially if is the same caliber as the officer’s carry gun. As a primary self-defense carry gun, these three calibers mean reliable protection in popular semi-auto self defense-calibers.

If more power is needed, step up to +P ammo. The advantage with Charter Arms Rimless Revolvers is they will fire any mix of cartridges while maintaining 100% reliability. For plinking with .45ACP or 9mm surplus and discounted military type ammo, the affordable Charter Arms Rimless Revolver will prove to be very economical and it’s also a .380 revolver. Now that is fun!

The secret is the patent-pending Charter Arms Rimless Revolver Round System. Basically, when a round is loaded into the chamber a specialized spring engages the cartridge’s ejector groove. When the cylinder is opened and the ejector rod operated, it extracts and ejects the fired cases.

Models: Initially snubbarrels (2″ 9mm and 2.2″ .40 and .45ACP) as these revolvers are designed for self- defense and back up. The 9mm is built on Charter Arms’ compact and lightweight undercover platform featuring an aluminum frame and weighing only 12 ounces. The .40 and .45ACP built on the popular and robust Bulldog frame due to the larger diameter of these cartridges while maintaining a compact profile.

Availability: First quarter of 2009.

MSRP Prices: 9mm $399.00, .40 $449.00, .45ACP $449.00

That .40 looks pretty good to me. Particularly for carry. I expect that these will sell well to a wide range of shooters.

Just what the world needed. Another five-shot snubby revolver. And this one is designed to use cartridges for which vastly superior modern platforms (*cough* Walther PPS *cough* Star Firestar *cough*) are available, and to use them in a platform that leaks gas at the barrel-cylinder gap and only has 2″ of rifling, which I’m sure will bring the hottest 9mm and .40 loads down to feeble .38 snubby terminal ballistic performance.

Bleah. Color me unimpressed. If this is going to be the most interesting thing at the SHOT show, wake me up again in 2010.

meh, other snubby revolvers chambered for 9mmP have pretty good ballistics, despite the barrel-cylinder gap. A revolver back-up is a pretty good idea if you’re carrying it in an ankle holster where it tends to get dirty.

Though I don’t think it’s likely you’ll ever get a chance to reload a snubby revolver in a gun fight, it’s convenient when all your guns use the same caliber.

In addition, if that new box of expensive high-tech defensive ammo just won’t feed in your pistol, you can still make use of it in your back-up revolver.

i just wish it was someone other than Charter Arms. I know that some folks have owned CA revolvers for years, swear by them, et cetera; but the ones I’ve seen have always looked and felt cheaply made and not durable.

I’d LOVE a 3″ 5-shot 10mm as a CCW gun, but I’d be a little leery of putting a whole box of Blazer 10mm practice ammo through a Charco product.

It appears the idea behind these guns is to go towards calibers that exist in larger numbers of production (not exotics). Also cylinder gap lowers velocity over an auto by about 20-30 FPS (no big deal–just ask anyone who has been stopped and killed by a “puny” 400fps muzzle ball). And the idea is for a smaller firearm that can be carried legally concealed. Those who wish for 6″ barrels in fat 6 to 8 round revolvers that fire 10mms, and other super velocity rounds simply do not understand what it appears Charter is trying to do here. Their guns are not finished shiney and pretty so I can beat the hell out of mine without sweating the pretty factor and I like their lifetime waranty–they work.

If the extractor system is anything like the S&W 547 or the Medusa, speedloading will be slowed down by the fact that you’ll need to push each cartridge home in the cylinder. The spring-loaded extractor fingers dragged on the side of the cases, keeping them from dropping into place under their own weight. Of course, this presumes that anyone will actually make speedloaders for them.

FWIW: Users of the .40 S&W version could use Bianchi Speed Strips designed for the .38 Special/.357 Magnum. The rim diameters of the cartridges are nearly the same. .40 S&W will also fit in existing .38/.357 speedloaders, but I doubt the spacing of the cartridges in a J-Frame speedloader will be correct for the undoubtedly larger Charter cylinder.

Can one expect the same level of quality that Charter Arms has produced over the years? If so, count me out. I have been looking for and wanting a 40SW revolver for quite a while, I’ve even considered having one made, maybe a Bowen or the like, now that Charter Arms has decided to make these, maybe other companies with worthwhile track records will follow suit and make something of quality.

You cant please everyone.I think its a good idea , lets see if it pans out.Charter Arms is a good pistol for what its designed for, concealed backup.And the price is reasonable.Lets see what happens ,its peeked my interest.

This pistol, if properly executed, will be a hot item and EXTREMELY difficult to obtain once released.

Personally, I’m a 9mm shooter and have been holding off on a revolver because of the high cost of the ammo. If this Charter wheelgun shows a decent level of quality, I’ll definitely be adding it to my collection! Why? Because 9mm is still cheap (Relatively speaking), I can train myself in the use of a revolver with ammo I already buy and reload for my semi-autos, and best of all, if someting goes wrong, I have a lifetime warranty backing me up.

Looks like Charter is playing hardball with these guns and I applaud them for thinking outside of the box!

HiVelSword, I was thinking about that same thing and actually considered the best option to be a double stack magazine, like a Glock or similar. Simply thumb out and into place. That, too, seems silly but it’s the best idea I’ve had so far, in place of moon clips or similar.

If these are accepted by the community in any real numbers, you could easily produce a speedloader to work with rimless cartridges. I hope they fly off the shelves enough for smith or ruger to start making them. I’d love one in 9 and 40!

I e-mail Ruger asking if they are considering producing a .40 S&W gun. The response was that they did not have any future plans to produce such a gun. I too had hoped that a company like ruger produced this gun. I’d like to have it on a SP 101 frame with a 3″ barrel.

I love revolvers but other than my .22 I’ve held off on buying one because I prefer 9mm ammo (price & convenience). I’ll be seriously considering one of these. A Southpaw model would be a dream come true.

Finally…a basic 24/7 belly gun in my favorite round, 9mm! It may not be a S&W, or a Colt…but I can afford to carry it now, as I work and live in the new “North American Union”. Innovative idea from a small American Company who still follows their own course, not what’s dictated by the “corporate nitwits”, like the other big American companies are now. While the rest of American arms companies sell out, outsource and cut corners, Charter soldiers on, keeping it simple, basic, affordable and very practical. This new piece indicates their desire to listen and respond to their customers, and fill a market need, while the big-boys ignore it because there’s not enough profit to be made. Charters aren’t for everyone, just us folk who work for a living and appreciate simple rugged designs, and practical affordability. My Pathfinder beats the Taurus 94 hands down, and my .38 undercover has tolerated THOUSANDS of +P rounds, and feels like an old friend. My next two will be the new 9mm, one for my son, and one for me as 24/7 pocket rockets.Can’t Wait!!! Angus

Ammo costs for the 9mm is the big drawing card IMO. Otherwise the .38’s have that level of concealed carry covered nicely already in cheap and well made firearm.

IMO – the big one in the bunch is the .45 ACP. Ammo for the .45 is relatively cheap and available and reloading is easy also. But the main thing is a FULL .45″ caliber that can expand, even in reduced barrel length guns, to .85 or so. Hard to beat that big hole for self defense (assuming you get decent penetration as well).

A medium weight 5 shot .45 would be a welcome replacement for the place that has been held by the very fine Bulldog. The rub on the Bulldog has been the .44 spl. round. Great round for sure. But availability of ammo and ammo choices has made it mostly a reloader caliber. Also it’s .429 or some such measurement and not a full .44.

.45 caliber is the biggest and baddest hole you can drill with a managable handgun. 230 gr. bullets that expand well at the speeds we’ll see with this gun are now available.

I’m betting that many compact .45 auto guys would really like a revolver in this caliber for carry.

I’m looking forward to the 9mm version of the CARR to come onto the market. This will be a nice addition to my collection. I’ve been in the market for a 9mm revolver to keep at the house for home defense for my wife when I’m not around. The CARR with a crimson trace grip will make a nice little shooter to keep in the gun safe. Heck I’ll probably be playing with it more then she will. Looks like fun.

I’ve been looking for a defense weapon for my wife and I think I just found it. She’s afraid of recoil and I can’t convince her, despite the evidence, that small frames feel the recoil more than large frames (she won’t touch my S&W model 686 .357 – but it’s smooth as butter!) Anyway, a .22 mag seems like fun but no stopping power. I thought of a .327 magnum but I can’t find one, can’t find the ammo, and they say the recoil is still pretty stout when firing the .327 (rather than, say, a .32 S&W).

I think the CARR is the answer. I’ll get the 9mm and start off letting her get used to shooting .380s through it. Then she can try some 9mm. If that goes well, she’ll move up to 9mm +P. I hope I can buy one before you guys take them all!

I think the 5 shot .40 revolver is a terrific idea. Same ammo as my XD, tight mass for concealed carry. Half the price of a Smith and Wesson 646. Now, how about the same gun in .357 Sig? I know it’s redundant, but it sounds like fun.

In response to “meh” Sep 26: it’s worth noting that even though the gas leak is unavoidable, energy is not siphoned off to function a self loading mechanism and when comparing semi-auto barrel length with wheelguns, the measurement for SA includes the headspace length whereas wheelguns are measured at the actual barrel. So these 2″ snubbies could effectively be similar to a semi-auto almost at 2.5″ depending on caliber. In the end it may be similar in ballistic performance, but what you get is unquestionable reliability, caliber ubiquity, and depending on your carry rig a different balance of the loaded ammunition’s weight (center of chassis rather than the frame). More carry options are never a bad thing and besides, if this innovation for extracting rimless carts turns out solid, it’s an excellent choice for carrying.

A 45 ACP for me with a 3″ or 3.5″ barrel. Most fights are over in 2 or 3 shots and this pistol should be easy to carry. Great for fun out at the range not having to chase brass and fun to shoot. How about some lead heavy bullet rounds, 250 to 280 gr.? I’ll bet it would digest them with no problem …….

My wife and I both have 32 mags! We both love them and with perfect control of recoil. My 32 mag is verry smooth and reliable, would,t part with it for anything. If Charter arms can come up with a rimless 380, like my 32mag revolver 5 shot. I would sure buy it in a heart beat. Its nice to have a choise of different calbers rimless revolers too.

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Keep your fingers crossed but just got off the phone with them and they are ‘in production’. The lady at the desk said the first shipments should hit stores by the second week of January, 1 week prior to the Jan 18-21 SHOT Show in Vegas.

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I received the two carr’s (40 S&W) on 8/16/2011 and shot them on 8/17/2011. I purchased two for my ccw school and always test out any newly acquirred guns before students can use them. Recoil is stout, with factory ammo since this is only a 20 ounce revolver. As a ccw gun it is very suitable as I prefer pocket carry and teach “shooting through the pocket”. As a ffl dealer I have found several distributors that have the guns in stock and will be selling them to my students.